Miramar promotes assistant Matt Strout as its new football coach

Miramar made Matthew Strout its new football coach on Friday, promoting former coach Damon Cogdell’s assistant coach to suceed him after consulting Cogdell and some current players.

Strout was the Patriots’ offensive line coach last season, but was “very involved in all three phases” -- offense, defense and special teams, Miramar principal Brian Faso said.

Seven candidates were interviewed, Faso said, and a panel that included Cogdell, select players chosen by their teammates, assistant coaches and school administrators settled on Strout after “a nationwide search” that garnered “tremendous interest.”

“He’s very knowledgable,” Faso said. “He’s been a mentee of Coach Cogdell in the program.”

Faso said the panel decided to stay within the program and promote an assistant coach “because they already know what our expectations are.”

He said maintaining continuity in the wake of Cogdell’s departure – Cogdell left in December to become an assistant at West Virginia University – was “very important” to the entire panel, “and most importantly to the players.”

“They all wanted to keep the family together,” he said.

Faso said his next order of business is hiring a new athletic director, a position Cogdell also held. He said he doesn’t have a timetable on a hire, but hopes to make it soon.”